USAG "Spirit of Good Sportsmanship"

[mariposa]

I found this interesting:

http://www.usa-gymnastics.org/PDFs/Women/Committee Minutes/NJOC/njoc_2010_0510.pdf

Recommendation to adopt the following statement and add to the 2010‐11 Rules and Policies and the
2013 Compulsory Book.
Motion: B. Harris
Second: J. Geddert
PASSED
In the spirit of good sportsmanship, fairness to all athletes and competitive balance, the mobility system within the National JO Program should be followed in the manner that it was intended.
- Before moving up a level, every athlete should show proficiency at their current level.
- Once a high level of proficiency is achieved at the athlete’s current level, she should strive to move up
to the next level as long as it is done safely.
- For athletes to repeat a level with the intent to gain an advantage over other competitors or teams IS NOT in the spirit of the JO Program or youth sports in general.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Excellent addition, and it was absolutely needed.

...however, I suspect the odds of any changes resulting from it are quite slim.

 

[NYgymfan]

And how would they enforce this??

 

[gymdog]

And how would they enforce this??

It is just a recommendation of good sportmanship, there is no sanction or anything to enforce. We would need an arbiter or court system for that

I agree with the statement of course but I also think it is in the spirit of good sportsmanship not to get too caught up in the choices that those might make outside of it.

Once in awhile I roll my eyes at it, but everyone reasonable is trying to progress the kids to their potential. We need to just keep our own goals in mind and not get caught up in silliness.

 

[NotAMom]

This is very very interesting! Also, what about optionals? Same thing should apply, no?

 

[gymnut1]

I think at optionals the skills get so much harder it is quite likely a gymnast will excell at one level and not make the next. Especially when you start needing release moves on bars.

It is good that they are recognising the problem and admitting it exists. Good start.

 

[gymdog]

This is very very interesting! Also, what about optionals? Same thing should apply, no?

Definitely, although to be honest I haven't seen it much at optionals. It is mostly a phenomenon at the compulsory levels because there is a significant advantage gained, to me. At the optional levels, except level 7, and now level 8 I guess (this is a big change), most girls are going to do multiple years (at least at 9 and 10). Also, I don't think the advantage is necessarily as significant. Most girls are no longer "very good" at all 4 events. They may be solid on all four, but most have a stand out event. So the competition becomes a bit more of a "specialist" thing. Granted, second years generally have an advantage in the AA, generally being more likely to have all the requirements down and have been competing some skills longer, but a powerful girl on any event will often break into that event her first year.

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

I think it is great that they are acknowledging that this does exist in the sport but there are so many reasons a gymnast does not move forward that trying to enforce this would be very difficult. I have seen girls win states but have fear issues that prevent them from moving to the next level.

 

[coachmolly]

I think it's good that USAG is acknowledging that this is a problem, but I also do not see how it would be possible to enforce any kind of concrete rule. There are lots of reasons why kids are held back, some less honest than others, but really it's the kids you need to feel bad for. There are too many coaches out there who are involved mainly for themselves, these seem to be the ones who hold girls back when they are beyond ready to move along. In these situations, you really just need to feel for the kids who are not being allowed to move on and reach their full potential.

 

[NotAMom]

There are lots of reasons why kids are held back, some less honest than others, but really it's the kids you need to feel bad for. There are too many coaches out there who are involved mainly for themselves, these seem to be the ones who hold girls back when they are beyond ready to move along. In these situations, you really just need to feel for the kids who are not being allowed to move on and reach their full potential.

To be fair, we cannot always blame the coaches. Some gymnasts plainly just want to stay put (due to a number of reasons, many of which can be less than reasonable), no matter how many years they have spent at a level.